Directions: Look at the map above, read the text below, and answer the following questions on your wiki page:
In the 1990's, satellite pictures revealed an ancient, dried riverbed located in India's present-day Thar Desert. Geologists have identified this riverbed as the route of the ancient Sarasvati River. The Sarasvati lay east of the Indus River and generally followed the same course, originating in the Himalaya mountains and emptying into the Arabian Sea. Geologists believe that the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati evolved into the dry, hot desert that exists today.
Early Indian agricultural settlements arose in the Indus-Sarasvati river region at least as far back as 6500 B.C.E. Like many other ancient peoples, the early Indians settled by rivers. They settled primarily on the banks of the Sarasvati River as well as along the banks of the Indus River. These rivers provided the ancient Indians with plenty of water, and the land near the rivers was fertile and excellent for growing crops. The rivers also provided the Indians with a convenient way to travel and trade among themselves and with other civilizations. Archeologists have found artifacts from the Indus-Sarasvati civilization - such as carved seals - in Mesopotamia's Sumer. These discoveries have led scholars to believe that the early Indians traded with Mesopotamia, possibly by traveling in ships down the Indus and Sarasvati rivers to the Arabian Sea and then west to Sumer and other locations.
After the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E., the Indus-Sarasvati Indians moved to more habitable areas, such as the fertile banks of the Ganga river further east. Archeological evidence shows, however, that people settled by the Ganga River as far back as 5000 B.C.E.
Questions:
1. In what ways is your map similar to the one that you see in the map above?
2. What physiographic features can you identify on this map that are not on your map?
3. Why do you think settlements developed along the Indus and Sarasvati rivers? Explain with clear and complete details.
4. Accurately draw and label the ancient Sarasvati River on your map.
5. Why did ancient Indian people eventually migrate to the Ganga River? Assignment 4-2 Website: Indus Valley Use the website above to answer these questions. Write your answers in complete sentences with clear details on your wiki page.
1. What was discovered during the excavations of Mohenjo-Daro?
2. How is Mohenjo-Daro similar to our cities today?
3. What can we learn from archaeological discoveries (such as artifacts and city construction) in Mohenjo-Daro?
4. Give clear and specific information about how people lived in Mohenjo-Daro. In your answer, you have to talk about the artifacts that you discovered and put into the museum.
5. What do we know about the Priest-King?
6. What was the Great Bath and how was it used? Assignment 4-3 Source:Archeologists Ideas Mohenjo-Daro.pdf
Think about the activity we did in class as archeologists in Mohenjo-Daro. Using the source above, your ideas, and the notes you took about archeologists ideas, answer the following questions clearly and completely on your wiki page. Each answer should be at least two sentences long with specific information.
1. What have you learned about daily life in Mohenjo-Daro from this activity?
2. Which characteristics of civilization do you see represented in the artifacts you looked at? Explain.
3. In what ways do you think Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city?
4. Why do you think it is difficult for us to know exactly what life was like in ancient civilizations like those in the Indus-Sarasvati region?
5. What do you think might have contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro? Assignment 4-4 Answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
1. What varna were you in during the caste system simulation?
2. What was your favorite part about the caste system simulation? Why?
3. What part of the simulation made you angry, upset, or frustrated? Why?
4. Do you think this system is fair? Why or why not?
5. Do you think a society should organize people into social classes? Why or Why not? Assignment 4-5
Website: India-Government
Use the website above and what you have learned in class so far to answer these questions about the early Indus River Governments.
1. Why would having a central government help in planning and organizing a city?
After completing yourUnderstanding How Ashoka's Edicts Helped Unify India sheet answer the following comprehension questions:
1. What are the main ideas expressed in Ashoka's edicts?
2. What are some of the ways in which Ashoka's leadership promoted unity in India?
3. In what ways did Ashoka's Buddhist beliefs contribute to the unification of India?
4. In addition to the edicts, what else might have contributed to the unification of India during this time period?
5. Explain how one of the edicts you examined could be catagorized another way
(i.e. instead of Buddhist Values it could also concern Justice)
Assignment 4-7
Source: Online Textbook pages 162-171
Directions: You are a sage and you will teach your classmates a part of ancient India's history. The four parts (groups) are...
Group 1: The Mauryan Empire (page 162-163, 166)
Group 2: The Gupta Empire (page 164-165)
Group 3: Indian Achievements- Religious Art & Sanskrit Literature (page 167-169)
Group 4: Indian Achievements- Scientific Advances (page 170-171)
Each part has (or might have) pictures, illustrations, maps, dates, vocabulary words, and important people. Your job as a sage is to become an expert on your part so you will be able to comfortably and confidently teach others. Remember that if you don't understand the information, you won't be able to teach others properly. Follow these steps to become a great sage:
Steps
Read all the information on the pages you are responsible for. Don't just read the main parts, look at the other information such as maps or diagrams or pictures.
Take notes in your notebook and answer the Reading Check question after each section to make sure you understand the information. You also have to answer the questions about your section from page 176 (section 4 or 5).
Decide how you are going to present the information to your students. Will you just talk about the information (this can be boring) or will you use visuals or give a slideshow presentation (this can be more interesting)? Remember that your students have not read the information and are counting on you to teach them in an interesting and educational way.
How will you check if your students understood the information? Will you make up questions to ask them? What else will you do? Will you ask your students to create something that shows their understanding? Think about how you are taught at school and the activities you do in your classes.
Activity 4-1 Unlocking the Secrets of Mohenjo-Daro
Assignment 4-1
Source: IndiaSubcontinentMapTrans.jpg
Directions: Look at the map above, read the text below, and answer the following questions on your wiki page:
In the 1990's, satellite pictures revealed an ancient, dried riverbed located in India's present-day Thar Desert. Geologists have identified this riverbed as the route of the ancient Sarasvati River. The Sarasvati lay east of the Indus River and generally followed the same course, originating in the Himalaya mountains and emptying into the Arabian Sea. Geologists believe that the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati evolved into the dry, hot desert that exists today.
Early Indian agricultural settlements arose in the Indus-Sarasvati river region at least as far back as 6500 B.C.E. Like many other ancient peoples, the early Indians settled by rivers. They settled primarily on the banks of the Sarasvati River as well as along the banks of the Indus River. These rivers provided the ancient Indians with plenty of water, and the land near the rivers was fertile and excellent for growing crops. The rivers also provided the Indians with a convenient way to travel and trade among themselves and with other civilizations. Archeologists have found artifacts from the Indus-Sarasvati civilization - such as carved seals - in Mesopotamia's Sumer. These discoveries have led scholars to believe that the early Indians traded with Mesopotamia, possibly by traveling in ships down the Indus and Sarasvati rivers to the Arabian Sea and then west to Sumer and other locations.
After the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E., the Indus-Sarasvati Indians moved to more habitable areas, such as the fertile banks of the Ganga river further east. Archeological evidence shows, however, that people settled by the Ganga River as far back as 5000 B.C.E.
Questions:
1. In what ways is your map similar to the one that you see in the map above?
2. What physiographic features can you identify on this map that are not on your map?
3. Why do you think settlements developed along the Indus and Sarasvati rivers? Explain with clear and complete details.
4. Accurately draw and label the ancient Sarasvati River on your map.
5. Why did ancient Indian people eventually migrate to the Ganga River?
Assignment 4-2
Website: Indus Valley
Use the website above to answer these questions. Write your answers in complete sentences with clear details on your wiki page.
1. What was discovered during the excavations of Mohenjo-Daro?
2. How is Mohenjo-Daro similar to our cities today?
3. What can we learn from archaeological discoveries (such as artifacts and city construction) in Mohenjo-Daro?
4. Give clear and specific information about how people lived in Mohenjo-Daro. In your answer, you have to talk about the artifacts that you discovered and put into the museum.
5. What do we know about the Priest-King?
6. What was the Great Bath and how was it used?
Assignment 4-3
Source:
Think about the activity we did in class as archeologists in Mohenjo-Daro. Using the source above, your ideas, and the notes you took about archeologists ideas, answer the following questions clearly and completely on your wiki page. Each answer should be at least two sentences long with specific information.
1. What have you learned about daily life in Mohenjo-Daro from this activity?
2. Which characteristics of civilization do you see represented in the artifacts you looked at? Explain.
3. In what ways do you think Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city?
4. Why do you think it is difficult for us to know exactly what life was like in ancient civilizations like those in the Indus-Sarasvati region?
5. What do you think might have contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro?
Assignment 4-4
Answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
1. What varna were you in during the caste system simulation?
2. What was your favorite part about the caste system simulation? Why?
3. What part of the simulation made you angry, upset, or frustrated? Why?
4. Do you think this system is fair? Why or why not?
5. Do you think a society should organize people into social classes? Why or Why not?
Assignment 4-5
Website: India-Government
Use the website above and what you have learned in class so far to answer these questions about the early Indus River Governments.
1. Why would having a central government help in planning and organizing a city?
2. Who were Rajahs?
3. What is a Guru?
4. What subjects were taught in school?
5. Who was in charge of the government?
6. Why did people look up to the priests?
Assignment 4-5
Creating an Illustrated Ramayana Poem
Activity 4-2 Unification of India- The Edicts of Ashoka
Assignment 4-6
After completing your Understanding How Ashoka's Edicts Helped Unify India sheet answer the following comprehension questions:
1. What are the main ideas expressed in Ashoka's edicts?
2. What are some of the ways in which Ashoka's leadership promoted unity in India?
3. In what ways did Ashoka's Buddhist beliefs contribute to the unification of India?
4. In addition to the edicts, what else might have contributed to the unification of India during this time period?
5. Explain how one of the edicts you examined could be catagorized another way
(i.e. instead of Buddhist Values it could also concern Justice)
Assignment 4-7
Source: Online Textbook pages 162-171Directions: You are a sage and you will teach your classmates a part of ancient India's history. The four parts (groups) are...
Each part has (or might have) pictures, illustrations, maps, dates, vocabulary words, and important people. Your job as a sage is to become an expert on your part so you will be able to comfortably and confidently teach others. Remember that if you don't understand the information, you won't be able to teach others properly. Follow these steps to become a great sage:
Steps